_ 319 _ them the letter that the captain-major of the fleet had sent, so that when they were ready they would not fail to fulfil their promise. These letters, which the Pasha wrote in secret and which had been returned to him, he had read out in public in the presence of many people,. Among those people who heard this were two youths that the Turks had captured, one a Venetian the other a Neapolitan, into whose hands he purposely put Dom Antonio 's letter for them to see, which although it was written in the Persian language, was signed with his usual signature. A few days later, he gave orders for the irons to be removed from the two Italians and he gave them an opportunity to escape, though others claim he personally set them free for them to go wherever they wanted. But however, that may be, one night, our fleet heard shouts from the land that they were on their way to seize, which came from some fugitive Christians. Thinking that it might be some trick, Dom Antonio instructed them to tell them to get into the water until it was morning so they would not be seen. Dom Jeronimo de Castelo Branco who was nearer the shore, landed and collected them at dawn without Dom
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